Big fourth inning keys Grafton rally

Friday

Jul 18, 2014 at 10:12 PMJul 18, 2014 at 11:58 PM

By Carl Setterlund CORRESPONDENT

MILLBURY — The Grafton Little League Major Division All-Stars found themselves trailing twice in the first three innings Friday night in the Section 2 state tournament, but Grafton rallied back each time to defeat Fairhaven-Acushnet, 6-4, at Thomas Moorey Park in Millbury.

Grafton manager Mike Farrah said that's nothing new for his 11- and 12-year-olds, who kept their hopes alive at playing for a state sectional championship.

"They've battled back the whole time," said Farrah, who has watched his kids win back-to-back games after falling in their first game, a slugfest against Barnstable on Wednesday. Grafton mercy-ruled Cohasset, 10-0, on the road on Thursday.

The District 5 champions are 2-1 in pool play, and were in line to advance to the section final, pending the result of Friday's game between Barnstable and Cohasset.

After falling behind, 1-0, in the first inning, Grafton's Carson Hauben and Matt Jankowski smashed back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the second inning.

Fairhaven-Acushnet scored twice in the third to take a 3-2 lead, but Grafton again had an answer, heating up at the plate for a four-run rally in the fourth to put them in front for good.

"This team can hit and we've proved it from district play right along to the state sectionals," Farrah said. "We just want to hit the ball hard somewhere and if we hit a home run, we hit a home run. So far the results have been in our favor."

Nate Terski went all six innings for Grafton and pitched well in a close game.

"He did a heck of a job," Farrah said. "You get to these games, it's our third game in a row, and every team seems to get their pitching staff a little bit depleted. He comes in and pitches a complete game for us. There's not much to say about that except he was fabulous and the team responded with some nice defense."

Fairhaven-Acushnet took the lead three batters into the game as Brady Bennett connected for a solo homer over the left field wall to make it 1-0.

Grafton got its revenge in the bottom of the second, as Hauben and Jankowski started the inning by each going deep on 1-1 pitches.

First, Hauben launched a bomb 20 feet over the center field wall to tie it. Two pitches later, Jankowksi took Fairhaven-Acushnet starter Ben Tyson down the left field line for another solo dinger to give Grafton a 2-1 lead.

Tyson also went the distance for Fairhaven-Acushnet, holding Grafton to its lowest run total after putting up 24 runs in the first two sectional games.

"They had a very strong pitcher," Farrah said.

He was no match for the Grafton All-Stars in the fourth inning, though. One day after putting up 10 runs in the same inning versus Cohasset, the Grafton bats came alive again for a pair of extra-base hits during the decisive four-run rally.

Pinch-hitter Ty Dupuis roped a one-out double to the wall in right to get things started in the fourth. He scored to tie the game, 3-3, on the next at-bat after Jack Martin reached on a throwing error.

The coach's son, Charlie Farrah, took the next pitch to the wall in center for another double as Martin came around for the go-ahead run.

Farrah scored what turned out to be the winning run on the ensuing at-bat as Jack Carelli singled to right.

Carelli advanced to second on the throw home, took third on an interference call on the same play, and then later scored the final Grafton run on a passed ball.

Fairhaven-Acushnet got a run back in the fifth as Bennett powered an RBI double down the left field line. Tyson scored from second, beating the throw home.

Contact Carl Setterlund at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @tgsports.